Nasal delivery devices

Abstract

A nasal delivery device for and method of delivering substance to a nasal cavity of a subject, the delivery device comprising: a container-receiving unit comprising a container chamber for receiving a substance-containing container which contains substance to be delivered to the nasal cavity of the subject, the container chamber including an inlet and an outlet; a nosepiece unit including a nosepiece for fitting to a nasal cavity of the subject and being in fluid communication with the outlet of the container chamber; a mouthpiece unit including a mouthpiece in fluid communication with the inlet of the container chamber and through which the subject in use exhales, such as to entrain substance from the container and deliver the same through the nosepiece; and moisture-mitigation means for mitigating an effect of moisture in an exhaled breath on the entrainment of substance from the container, which means are provided, for example, by providing the container in a replaceable container-containing member, by a pressure-sensitive valve which normally closes the fluid connection between the container chamber and the mouthpiece, and a temperature regulator upstream of the container chamber.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A nasal delivery device for delivering substance to a nasal cavity of a subject, the delivery device comprising:
 a container-receiving unit comprising a container chamber for receiving a substance-containing container which contains a substance to be delivered to the nasal cavity of the subject, the container chamber including an inlet and an outlet; 
 a nosepiece unit including a nosepiece adapted to be fitted to a nasal cavity of the subject and being in fluid communication with the outlet of the container chamber; 
 a mouthpiece unit including a mouthpiece in fluid communication with the inlet of the container chamber and through which the subject in use exhales, such as to entrain substance from the container and deliver the same through the nosepiece; and 
 a moisture-reducing element for reducing condensation at or downstream of the container chamber. 
 
     
     
       2. The delivery device of  claim 1 , wherein the moisture-reducing element comprises an air chamber which fluidly connects the mouthpiece to the inlet of the container chamber and has a volume at least twice that of the container chamber. 
     
     
       3. The delivery device of  claim 2 , wherein the air chamber comprises a temperature regulator for regulating a temperature of a flow of exhaled breath. 
     
     
       4. The delivery device of  claim 3 , wherein the temperature regulator is located at an upstream end of the air chamber. 
     
     
       5. The delivery device of  claim 3 , wherein the temperature regulator substantially fills the air chamber. 
     
     
       6. The delivery device of  claim 3 , wherein the temperature regulator comprises a labyrinthine condenser. 
     
     
       7. The delivery device of  claim 1 , further including a pressure-sensitive valve in fluid communication with the inlet of the container chamber and being configured so as to close the inlet of the container chamber until a predetermined pressure is developed upstream of the pressure-sensitive valve. 
     
     
       8. The delivery device of  claim 7 , wherein the pressure-sensitive valve comprises a flap member which is biased to a closed, sealing position. 
     
     
       9. The delivery device of  claim 8 , wherein the flap member is hingeable about a pivot, and the pressure-sensitive valve includes a resilient element which biases the flap member to the closed position. 
     
     
       10. The delivery device of  claim 7 , wherein the pressure-sensitive valve is located adjacent the inlet to the container chamber. 
     
     
       11. The delivery device of  claim 7 , wherein the pressure-sensitive valve is disposed between mouthpiece and the container receiving unit. 
     
     
       12. The device of  claim 1 , wherein the substance is a powder.